Sony has unveiled two new intelligent vision sensors, the IMX500 and IMX501. What’s interesting about these two 12.3MP sensors is that they come with onboard AI processing chips that can perform certain machine learning tasks without additional hardware.
According to the company, the new image sensors offer a more streamlined solution in terms of AI enhancements. The onboard AI chip allows a camera to get information processed in real-time, which is useful for facilities such as fully automated cashiers, and security systems that rely on complex approaches like facial recognition.
Once the camera analyses a subject, the image sensor itself performs whatever AI processing that is necessary and produces the metadata required. This eliminates the need for it to be connected to a cloud or a nearby processor for this task.
Being first-gen AI intelligent vision sensors, it is highly unlikely that these will end up in consumer devices like smartphones, compact cameras and tablets just yet. Instead, Sony will aim to supply industrial or retail related clients that require the technology for certain purposes.
(Source: Sony Global)